WELSH Secretary Peter Hain last night confirmed he has been contacted by police probing the cash-for-honours affair.

It emerged many, if not all, of the members of the Cabinet at around the time of the last election have received letters from, or been contacted in some other way by, detectives.

Tony Blair is understood not to have received a letter but it appears increasingly likely that the prime minister will now be questioned by officers.

It is believed the cabinet ministers have been asked to reveal "formally in writing" what they knew about #14m of loans made to Labour before the 2005 election.

They have also reportedly been asked what they knew about the subsequent nomination of lenders for peerages.

In a short statement, a spokesman for the secretary of state for Wales last night said: "Peter Hain has been contacted by the Metropolitan Police as part of their investigation into donations and peerages."

Gordon Brown, Ruth Kelly, Alan Johnson and David Miliband have also confirmed they have been contacted.

Former health secretary and 2005 Labour election mastermind Alan Milburn yesterday revealed he has been interviewed by police investigating the affair.

The affair began after it emerged that four businessmen who gave Labour unpublicised loans of #4.5m were subsequently nominated for peerages.